By: Robert Cavuoto
Kobra And The Lotus will be opening for the legendary bands KISS and Def Leppard this summer’s North American tour. To support the tour they will be releasing their second CD, High Priestess, due out on June 24th.
High Priestess delivers a blend of fiery vocals by lead singer Kobra Paige and heavy riff-laden melodies with ferocious musicianship.
The band is no stranger to the big stage, as they have already played such massive European festivals as the U.K.’s Download, Sonisphere (Spain), Hellfest (France), Gods Of Metal (Italy), Bloodstock (UK) and supported bands like Judas Priest.
Kobra And The Lotus are Kobra Paige on vocals, Jasio Kulakowski and Jurekk James on guitar, Brad Kennedy on bass and Elias “Bones” Rodriguez on drums.
I had the chance to sit with Kobra Paige to discuss the band’s new CD and what it will be like opening for Kiss and Def Leppard this summer.
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Robert Cavuoto: How great is it to be opening for Kiss and Def Leppard this summer?
Kobra Paige: It’s such an honor, we were looking for a summer tour and it just happened. It’s something you hope will happen and we are really blessed. It’s always a competition with a lot of great bands. Everybody puts their name in for it and we were chosen.
We work with Gene Simmons of Kiss, as he is part of our Universal Canada team of Simmons Records. I’m sure that helped a little bit.
We couldn’t believe it came through. I can remember as a kid saving to see Def Leppard and now we will be opening for them. It’s surreal.
Robert: What are your plans to win the crowd over? I imagine it will be tough with all the diehard fans in the audience?
Kobra Paige: We know the demographic that we are serving and we’re hard rock heavy metal, so what we can do for them is provide them with that same vibrant energy that the fans fell in love with Def Leppard and Kiss. We are going to go out there and give them a full on rock show with all the energy possible.
Robert: Tell me about how the band was formed?
Kobra Paige: I really wanted to start a tribute band to all the great metal bands out there. So, I found some like-minded musicians and started jamming at the one guitarist’s house to Iron Maiden.
We then said, “Why not just write our own songs?” We started writing that first day and it really took off. I started to take the band in that direction and we now have two CDs.
Robert: To new fans of the band, how are the two CDs similar and how are they different?
Kobra Paige: The first CD was the first time we started writing and recording together. It’s more rock ‘n roll and more raw with more jamming. As things developed between us, they began to shift and take more of our personalities.
The second CD has more of a metal elements and a heavy vibe. There is also a different spin on the vocals. It’s more full bodied into becoming a cohesive band.
Robert: Where do you draw inspiration from when writing songs?
Kobra Paige: Everywhere, there are so many things that happen in life, as well as others peoples live. There are endless source to tap into.
Its storytelling. I draw a lot of stories from personal experiences and also create stories around getting a certain point across. We are all human and connected with music and art. It reminds us that we are all relatable, in some way.
Robert: My favorite song is “High Priestess”, what can you tell me about it?
Kobra Paige: Thank you. I was with my sister in Vancouver one day and she was drawing Tarot cards and she drew the High Priestess. She was really coming into herself in a way of life and I thought there needs to be a song called “High Priestess”. Where is the High Priestess of metal? We have the Rob Halford Metal God. It’s about your journey to become the High Priestess.
Robert: Do you have any favorite tracks on the CD?
Kobra Paige: My favorite is “Lost on the Shadows”. I connect to it in a deep way, internally. There is a lot of faith that comes with working in this industry. You work and work and there is no milestone like in a 9-5 job. There is a need to believe that things will come to fruition and that something will happen, even if you can’t see it.
It related to all people feeling lost and where to go in life and what are the next steps.
What am I supposed to be doing right now and am I doing the right thing?
Robert: What is the story behind your band’s name?
Kobra Paige: Lotus is a flower that grows from the mud, so that is something that I thought was bad ass. I find there is a lot of beautiful aspect of metal, as well as how it’s a raw primitive expression. The lotus represents that perfectly.
Cobra’s are fierce and show up in a lot of cultures as a proctor for humanity with their hood up. I thought of beauty and a warrior for humanity
Robert: You’re a trained vocalist, what do you make of the success people have on The Voice and American Idol while you’re in the trenches trying to be heard and just as good of a singer if not better than most of them?
Kobra Paige: I feel happy for anyone that moves forward as an artist, because you don’t know the work that they put into getting there. It’s so subjective how things come about that I really don’t compare it that way.
I love putting in the work and realized that I picked a genre that is a more organic process with rock and metal; the need of building a fan base and not having a hit all the time with a more mainstream sound. I recognize that fully. The only thing that I am bothered by is the ignorance of the work by an outsider.
If someone says, “I guess you were at the right place at the right time. That’s why your band got signed and my band didn’t.” I just want to say, that it took hundreds of show to even get someone to give us constructive criticism in order for us to change, before someone would even consider signing us. That’s just ignorance by a lack of experience a lot of the time.
